Infusion therapy generally involves the administration of a medication intravenously. When performing a typical infusion therapy, one or more infusion therapy device (e.g. tubing sets) are used. Oftentimes, during infusion therapy, the end of the tubing set is left exposed to non-sterile surfaces such as when a syringe is removed from a male Luer end of the tubing set. For example, when the end of the tubing set is exposed, the patient or nurse may touch the end, or the end may come in contact with non-sterile bedding, table, or floor surfaces.
Although it is required to clean the hub or needleless connector end of the tubing set, it is not required to clean the other end which is typically a male Luer. Disinfection caps are increasingly being used to disinfect the ends of infusion therapy devices such as needleless connectors, IV sets, or short extension tubing. Such caps generally include foam soaked with alcohol which contacts surfaces of the port when the cap is connected to the port. Various problems exist when using these caps. For example, the alcohol soaked foam only contacts exterior surfaces of the access port. Also, once a cap is placed on a port, the alcohol in the cap evaporates quickly. Further, use of alcohol often results in alcohol being forced into the IV line.
Further, some types of female Luer connectors trap liquids which are incapable of being effectively treated by conventional disinfection caps. For example, side ports on a catheter adapter are commonly used as a quick access for IV medications or fluid injection into an IV line, or into the patient's bloodstream, for quick effects, especially in emergency situations. The port may be accessed multiple times during the entire use of a catheter; sometimes in excess of seven days. Contaminated Luer access devices, such as a syringe, when connected to the port may transfer microorganisms the side wall and bottom of the side port. This may result in microorganism growth and colonization inside the port, which poses a risk of infection for the patient. Currently available disinfections caps are not able to effectively disinfect these surfaces.
Thus, while methods and systems currently exist for disinfecting needleless connectors, challenges still exist. Accordingly, it would be an improvement in the art to augment or replace current techniques with the systems and methods discussed herein.